'Framingham is a city on the move,' mayor says at groundbreaking

Jim Haddadin Daily News Staff @JimHaddadin

Tuesday

Apr 3, 2018 at 8:05 PMApr 3, 2018 at 9:16 PM

FRAMINGHAM — Work has commenced on the first major residential project in downtown in four decades.

Developer Wood Partners held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for its new five-story apartment building at 55-75 Concord St. The project promises to be a catalyst for the area, helping to bring downtown Framingham to “new heights,” said Jim Lambert, the company’s Boston-area development director.

“Downtown Framingham is full of exciting possibilities,” Lambert said. “This is a welcoming place for us to do business, and we know it will be a wonderful place for our residents to live, work and play. It has a unique and exciting blend of economic opportunity, cultural diversity, urban amenities, but with a small-town feel.”

City officials gathered with representatives from Wood Partners Tuesday under a tent beside the construction site, clinking champagne glasses to toast the project’s official kick-off.

Named Alta Union House, the development will bring 196 apartments and an attached parking garage to the corner bounded by Concord, Howard and Kendall streets.

With a scheduled opening of fall 2019, the estimated $60 million project is set to become the first major transit-oriented development to spring up near the downtown commuter rail station.

Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer said the community is poised for a surge of new activity downtown, fueled by access to train and bus service.

“We all worked hard together to make this day a reality,” she said, “and there is more to come. I can tell you you have picked the right place to grow. Framingham is a city on the move, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

After imposing a long-standing moratorium on multifamily housing development, Framingham began the work of repositioning its downtown for growth more than five years ago. Milestones along the way included a successful Town Meeting vote in fall 2015 to relax zoning rules in the central business district.

Residents also approved multimillion-dollar tax increment financing deals for the Concord Street project and a second luxury apartment building coming to 266 Waverly St.

City officials hope the buildings will bring new residents who are less dependent on automobiles to the area, Economic Development Director Art Robert said.

“They will help drive new business opportunities into our downtown,” he said. “And yes, there are challenges ahead. Among them are preparing downtown businesses for the future, attracting new amenities and businesses, encouraging affordable housing, and enhancing public parking, all of which will help move our downtown from a pass-through district of today to the MetroWest regional destination of tomorrow.”

Twenty apartments in the building will be reserved as affordable housing. Rents for low- and moderate-income apartments in the building will start at $1,563 for one-bedroom units, $1,758 for two-bedroom units and $1,953 for three-bedroom units, according to documents submitted previously to the Board of Selectmen.

The project will merge several parcels that now house parking lots, warehouses, a church and vacant stores. Construction will soon begin on a precast parking garage, followed by work on the wood-frame apartment building. The project is expected to finish during the second half of 2019. Wood Partners will receive subsidies worth $5.9 million through a 15-year tax increment financing agreement.

Citing the arrival of the project, Mike Gatlin, chairman of the Framingham Economic Development and Industrial Corporation, and executive director of Downtown Framingham, Inc., said the development landscape in Framingham is more welcoming now than ever before.

“The rendering that you see here is a glimpse of the downtown that this project will help usher in — a walkable community with cultural and economic anchors, new and long-term residents and quick access to Boston,” Gatlin said. “Alta Union House represents the kind of investments we want to see in our downtown, and is setting a high bar for future projects.”

Jim Haddadin can be reached at 617-863-7144 or jhaddadin@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimHaddadin